The Host
by MrsSwords
Summary: The newly formed team receives a tip on the whereabouts of Sha're and Skaara. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread – and fall right into the hands of the gods themselves. Does something of the host really survive? A sequel to 'The Gulf Between' and 'Four keen observers and one clueless major'.
1. Expectations

**1.**

 **Expectations**

They lose Kawalsky.

It's a blow that everyone feels; Stargate Command isn't a large operation, after all. She knows that he was there on the ground the day her plane went down, but the awareness is purely conceptual. The fact is, she didn't actually know him. She wanted to, though. She liked him. He was straightforward and seemed... kind. Loyal above all. She saw the camaraderie between him and Jack.

 _Jack_.

No, she may not have known Kawalsky, but she does feel his loss – even if it is by proxy. She's mildly ashamed when she realises that the genuineness in her emotions isn't for the man who died, but for the man who was left behind; a man who had already suffered so much loss.

It doesn't escape her that Kawalsky's name was also Charlie.

When she and Jack had stood at the base of the ramp before their first trip together through the Stargate, Sam had seen a light in his eyes that had nothing to do with the bright shimmer of the event horizon. It had struck her then, because she was sure she hadn't seen it before – certainly not during their heated exchanges and misunderstandings – because it definitely wasn't the blaze of anger. She hadn't even seen it that morning, not even when they'd finally smoothed things out between them.

Sam's never been very good with emotions, but she knows it means something. She _feels_ it.

And so when she sees that light fade a little with Kawalsky's death, she has the unsettling urge to claw it back – tooth and nail. Her rational mind reminds her that she has no right to this man, or his feelings; they haven't even had dinner yet. Between Jack's evident frustration and worry over Teal'c's treatment, and Kawalsky dying, it seems as though their moment simply hasn't arrived yet.

So it's with a growing sense of unease that Sam finds herself practically hiding out in her lab with the crazy notion that if she pretty much _lives_ in it, he'll know exactly where to find her when he's ready.

It isn't the Colonel that finds her, though. The rap of knuckles against the partly opened door is, oddly, too heavy for Jack - there's no playfulness in it. Sam has noticed that Jack hides his true feelings under a mountain of blithe irreverence, and wonders how he doesn't realise that it makes his load that much heavier.

"Dr. Carter." Sam raises an eyebrow and her visitor quickly corrects. "Um, right. Sam."

"Daniel."

It comes out almost a sigh, and she tries to hide the disappointment in her voice, but she's not good at masks anymore. She watches the crease form on his brow before he glances back over his shoulder and out into the corridor behind him.

"Expecting someone else?" Daniel says, his gaze returning to her.

She looks at him, then. Really _looks_ at him. He has dark smudges under his eyes and a jitteriness to his movements that she knows all too well. It's only around 0800 and far too early for him to be so heavily caffeinated. It's much more likely that he's been up all night.

"You look terrible."

The line between his brows deepens as he takes a few more steps into the lab. The lighting does absolutely nothing to help him – the washed out pallor of his skin only accentuates the weariness that clings to him.

"Gee, thanks," he says flatly.

There's something like hurt colouring his tone, but Sam doesn't know what else to say. She's always been much more practical when it comes to expressing herself – she got angry with the Colonel and showed it by punching him in the face, after all. Her comment to Daniel is simply the emotional equivalent of a kick in the shin.

He should consider himself lucky.

And then she remembers that the man has just lost his wife.

"I'm so sorry," she says, the words tumbling out in a rush. "It's just that - "

"You were expecting someone else."

It's not a question this time around, and Sam winces, finding herself unable to look him in the eye. Instead, she quickly turns to clear some files from the spare stool near her work bench and ushers Daniel towards it, dropping the armful of reports and data into an unruly heap on the nearest flat surface.

She pulls her own stool up next to his and settles onto it, taking her time in making herself comfortable as she tries to gather her thoughts.

Finally, she finds his eyes, and manages a mollifying smile.

"I just meant that you look like you haven't been sleeping."

They sit facing each other, practically knee to knee. It's strange, and comforting. She barely knows Daniel, but there's something about him that makes her feel at home - there's a rhythm that they seem to fall into when they're together. They're still so formal with each other in some ways, but Sam likes to think of this thing that they share as synchronised thought processes; scientific cadence.

It makes her feel all the more guilty for not having noticed how Daniel's fraying at the edges.

She watches him shift on his seat, leaning into the bench and propping himself up on one elbow. It seems to Sam that he's having problems just keeping himself upright.

"Every time I close my eyes I see the look on Sha're's face," he says. "There was just... nothing.

"She didn't, no, _doesn't_ know me. Not anymore."

He's not looking at her while he says this. His temple rests against the palm of his hand as he slouches further over the workbench, and it's pushed his glasses up slightly on one side. He doesn't seem to notice though; his eyes are a little glazed as he stares at a point over Sam's shoulder. He sounds so defeated, and there's a lump in her throat because she's reminded of the way the Colonel looked at her when she walked into the locker room. But at least there'd been _something_ there _._ What would it feel like to look at the person you love and see nothing reflected back at you? Not even the slightest flicker of recognition?

"Something of the host survives, Daniel. I believe that." Her voice comes out strong, and she doesn't know how she's managing it. "Just look at Kawalsky."

He's finally looking at her again, and there's that spark, that glint in his eye, and Sam realises exactly what it is: hope.

Just like Jack.

"This may seem a little obvious to point out, Sam, but Kawalsky didn't make it."

His words may be dismissive, but he's straightened himself on his stool, and that light is still in his eyes. He still has hope, and Sam realises that he just wants to be _convinced_.

She's a scientist; she's _excellent_ at formulating convincing arguments.

"Look at it this way: the only information we have about this is from the Goa'uld themselves," she says, leaning further into his space and placing a hand on his arm; she's clutching at him slightly and she's not sure why. "They are liars, Daniel. Of course they would want us to think that we are too weak to fight them."

He huffs a breath which is almost a laugh and stares down at her hand. "They believe they're gods."

"And they would never admit, even to themselves, that we may have power over them," she says, catching his eye again.

Sam feels a hand cover hers where she's still gripping his arm. His palm is warm, and much more calloused than a supposed bookworm's should be. It reminds her of how much Daniel's been through, and that he's been living on a desert planet for over a year – an alien planet with a people whose culture is completely cut off from modern society.

The people of Abydos must be resilient.

"Sha're is strong, Daniel," she adds before the silence settling between them grows too thick.

He smiles then, if you could call it that. It's just one corner his mouth that seems to be rebelling against the rest of him, but suddenly he no longer looks so ashen and worn. She finds herself smiling back.

"She is," he says, as if he needed to say it at all.

"Good morning, campers!"

The startling clap that accompanies the Colonel's exclamation reverberates around the lab, and Sam's leaning too far forward to do anything other than make a grab for Daniel in an effort to maintain her balance. Thankfully, Daniel is sturdier than he looks.

"Daniel. Sam."

In that moment, she _hates_ him.

 _Just a little._

It's a fine line, really.

With her heart still fluttering somewhere up around her throat, it takes her longer than she'd like for her and Daniel to untangle themselves, but as soon as they are, Daniel is up on his feet and twisting around Jack and towards the door. He pauses in his escape just long enough to level a knowing look at her. He pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and glances pointedly at Jack.

"Hope it's worth all the waiting, Sam." He raises one eyebrow at her, takes a step out of the door, and then disappears down the corridor.

Sam feels her mouth fall open.

 _Why that little... He_ knows _._

She remembers herself enough to close her mouth again before turning her attention back to the Colonel. He's staring after Daniel's retreating form, a small grin curving his lips. Sam scrambles off of her stool, and nearly finds herself standing at attention before she realises what she's doing; she hates how, even after all these years, her military training is still so much a part of her. She doesn't want to have this kind of reaction – not to Jack. He is _not_ her superior officer. But he is the leader of their team.

Sam doesn't know where to draw the line. Or if she's even willing to do so.

She thinks that maybe dinner is a bad idea.

And then she shakes herself because she's just standing there doing absolutely nothing, and the only thing she's really sure of is that she _really_ wants that dinner.

Jack doesn't seem to have noticed her hovering just yet – he still has half an eye towards the door, and it looks like he's been momentarily distracted by something on her workbench. Or maybe he's simply _allowed_ himself to be distracted; his demeanour is suddenly a little less sure. She seizes the opportunity to pretend that she's tidying the files she moved earlier, and tries to ignore the twinge of nervousness coiling in her stomach.

"So," he says, moving closer to her. "Interrupting something?"

There's the edge of something sharp in his words, but Sam isn't fooled; he may not be exactly oozing confidence at that moment, but he's still... relaxed. It's in the line of his shoulders, the tilt of his head as he shifts all of his attention onto her.

She feels another twist of nerves low in her gut but she mentally shoves it away.

"How long were you listening for?" she says, lifting her chin. She arches an eyebrow at him, too – just for good measure.

His eyes widen fractionally, and the look of indifference he was obviously going for morphs into something closer to admiration.

"Not too long," he says, still fighting to keep his expression blank.

She can see that he's curious; can see that he wants to ask her how she knew. The truth is, it was just a guess: his entrance seemed too well timed to be coincidence.

Sam has never been fond of coincidence – for a number of reasons.

She likes that he's content to leave it a mystery, though. In so many ways, he is the complete opposite of her; she would want to know.

"That was nice," he adds, finally. "What you said to Daniel about Sha're."

She doesn't hesitate in her response. "It applies to Skaara, too."

A fleeting look passes over his features; it's too similar to the one she'd seen at his house when she'd spotted the photo of his son. Like with Daniel, she moves to touch him, to comfort, but unlike with Daniel, she hesitates and stops herself; Daniel is her friend, but she doesn't really know what Jack is.

Not yet.

She catches his eye, and it's obvious that he's seen her aborted movement, but he makes no indication that he has. Instead, he turns and leans against her bench while eyeing her thoughtfully, shoving his hands into the pockets of his fatigues.

"You hear about Teal'c?" he says.

"I did," she replies, and tries to control the sound of relief in her voice at the change of subject. "It's great news."

"We are good to go for our mission to P3-575 at 0900 tomorrow morning."

"I heard that, too."

She finds herself looking down at her hands, folding and straightening the bent corner of one of the reports she'd dumped earlier. She's pleased that he's come down to find her, but she's not so sure about why he _is_ here.

"Did you hear about dinner at my place tonight?"

Her head shoots up so quickly she thinks she may have whiplash. She doesn't care how surprised she must look - or the possibility that he can read more than just that from her.

He's grinning at her, and she grins back.

"I actually _hadn't_ heard that one," she says.

"No? Well, I'll have to have words with the person who was meant to inform you."

He ducks his head slightly, his attention on his feet for a moment as he shifts his weight. She realises it for what it is; an apology for not coming to speak to her sooner. She completely understands why, of course, but part of her is a little too eager to accept his rueful comment.

"You should do that," she says, but her grin's widened even further, and when he looks back up at her, he sees it.

That glint in his eye is a little brighter again.

"1900. My place," he says, pushing away from the bench and heading for the door. "You remember where that is, right Sam?"

He pauses at the doorway long enough to throw her a look over his shoulder; there's a cheeky quirk to the corner of his mouth, and Sam narrows her eyes at him.

He raises an eyebrow before continuing on his way out the lab.

"You better have more than just bread and Guinness this time," she calls after him.

She doesn't hear the chuckle he gives in response.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _ **So here we are finally! I'm very excited to be starting this (freaking out a bit, too, to be honest). For ages and ages I racked my brain trying to come up with a plot that would (for me at least) seem original. SG-1 fan fiction writers are a vast army though – I have no idea if a plot like this has been done before. I can only say that my aim is to try to do something unique with it, and I hope you all enjoy!**_**

 ** _ **By the way, you may have noticed that this is written in a different tense to my usual style. I started writing and that's what came out - so I'm just going with it.**_**

 ** _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**_**


	2. Dinner (or thereabouts)

**2.**

 **Dinner (or thereabouts)**

Sam turns the rental into the cul-de-sac. She's a little bit amazed that she's managed to find it - only taking one wrong turn in the process. The feeling dissipates quickly, though; her heart is hammering an alarming rhythm against her ribcage, and it only gets worse as she approaches the house tucked away at the end of the street. With every residence she passes, her grip tightens fractionally on the steering wheel. Finally, she pulls into his driveway, and the sudden scrunch of gravel has no less of an effect on her than it did the first time - except that now she's on edge for very different reasons.

She brakes just slightly too late and narrowly misses bumping into the back of his truck.

The sudden shift in momentum pitches her bag forward, and she watches helplessly as it tumbles off of the passenger seat and spills most of its contents over the floor. She exhales a shaky breath and squeezes her eyes shut for just a moment, briefly entertaining the idea of turning around and heading back to her hotel.

Or the base.

She thinks he's probably seen her pull in. At the very least, he's heard her.

She knows it's too late. She has to get out of the car and walk up to his door and knock on it like a normal human being would when they've been invited over for dinner. But she feels horribly out of her depth with this, and doesn't really know what she's doing. What _they're_ doing.

They're colleagues. And not even the distant, different department sort of colleagues.

 _He's essentially her boss._

Well, maybe not technically. That would be General Hammond. But she knows how thin that particular argument is, because when they're out in the field Jack is _definitely_ her boss.

For the first time in a long, long time she thinks of Liz; specifically that Cheshire Cat smile she gave Sam in the commissary all those years ago when Sam had told her how the Colonel 'interested' her. She'd told Sam then that there were some things in life that you just couldn't control. Sam wonders what Liz would say if she could see the path that that interest had taken; could see where it has led.

Liz would _love_ this.

But it's the choice in front of her now that frightens Sam the most - the path that she hasn't yet walked. She's outside the wire now, and everything in her that's still military screams at her to put the car in reverse and drive - far, far away from this house. It would be so much easier if she was still enlisted; there would be no choice to make. She wouldn't even be here, outside the Colonel's house, sitting in this stuffy rental with its fake new-car smell that made her want to purposefully spill some of her early morning coffee onto one of the seats each morning she got into it just so it wouldn't feel so _temporary_.

But she's _not_ enlisted.

She's the sole survivor of a plane crash who woke up from a coma and decided that some things were worth the risk, and she's made changes. Big changes.

She questions whether she would alter any of it if she knew it would lead her here.

The answer is clear to her before she's even finished processing the question.

She looks over at her bag. It's a chaotic mess, and Sam barks a laugh at it because it's a little bit like her life at the moment. She doesn't need anything in it, though - she's not even sure why she brought it - so she'll worry about the chaos later.

Let the chips fall where they may, she thinks.

She pulls the key from the ignition and turns to open her door only to find something hovering in her eye line just on the other side of the glass.

She startles, and her eyes dart to her hands as she drops the key and grabs the handle, instinctively preparing to use the car door as a ram against her would-be assailant.

She manages to stop herself just in time, because she knows - before she even hears the clink of glass on glass as he taps his beer bottle on her window - that it's him.

She's glad she's not looking at him, because in that moment she _hates_ him.

 _Just a little._

It's the second time today that he's nearly given her a heart attack.

And then she looks up at him through the window and he grins down at her, and there's some strange mix of fire and mischief dancing in his eyes. He's dangerous, and she knows with absolute certainty that it's not the last time this man is going to frighten the life out of her.

She's not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing.

He steps away, bringing the car door with him, and Sam lets the handle slide from her grasp.

"You planning on stay out here all evening?"

She could try to cobble together some feeble explanation for sitting out in his driveway; something that she knew 'military' Sam would definitely have done. But instead, she levels him with her iciest glare.

He simply arches an eyebrow at her and casually takes a swig of his beer.

It's a gauntlet thrown at her feet, and right now, she's OK with choosing the risky option.

"You got another one of those inside?"

The grin he's still wearing turns wicked, and he wipes off the top of the bottle before holding it out to her.

"Just opened," he says smoothly, "and you do look like you could use it."

She's gobsmacked, and for a few seconds all thought comes to a screeching halt. And then she remembers that she's already picked up that gauntlet, and so she confidently swings her legs around and steps out of the car, and right into his space - pulling the bottle from his hand as she does.

She lifts the beer to her lips, watching his reaction closely, and takes a pull. His jaw goes slack, and she doesn't miss the bob of his Adam's apple. His eyes find hers and it feels like they're in the middle of a wild west standoff; each waiting for the other to make the first move.

She's a little horrified at herself in this moment.

But she's pretty proud, too, because she didn't make the calculated choice. She's gone with her gut and it's exhilarating to lose and gain everything all at once. She thinks she understands a bit more about how this man in front of her operates.

"Ah, Jack."

The moment snaps like the string from a bow drawn too tight, and Sam blinks, turning in the direction of the voice.

"Oh. Hi, Sam. Glad you could make it."

"Daniel," she says. There's a little squeak of surprise in her voice that is unmistakable; it's the second time today that she _hasn't_ wanted to see Daniel and has been blatantly obvious about it.

She feels terrible.

There's a twitch at the corner of Daniel's mouth, though, and she thinks that those wide eyes of his are not so guileless.

She glances back at Jack, and he's also turned his head in Daniel's direction, but he seems frozen in place - his hand outstretched as if he's still holding that beer bottle that she'd taken from him.

"I think your steaks are on fire."

For the first time, Sam notices a plume of smoke rising from somewhere round back of the house. Jack visibly shakes himself and takes a step away from her.

"On it," he says, throwing her a look that she finds indecipherable before jogging off around the side of the house.

Sam is suddenly very aware of everything around her; one hand gripping the top of the car-door frame, the low angle of the sun as it neared sundown, the growing chill in the air, Daniel's eyes on her, and the cool condensation of the nearly-full beer bottle against the palm of her other hand.

She looks at Daniel, offers him a wry smile, and then takes a very long pull off of her beer.

* * *

Daniel cleverly makes himself scarce while she searches for the car key she dropped, and she takes her time about finding it.

What she's really doing is trying to talk herself out of the feeling that she just completely misunderstood his invitation; that she's stupidly walked into this with the totally wrong idea that _dinner_ logically meant _date_. Because it definitely did.

 _Didn't it?_

Especially when he hadn't mentioned anyone else joining them.

She takes a deep breath and sighs heavily, but her eyes fall on her upturned bag once more. She pauses, and then reaches across the seat and pulls it upright before scooping its scattered contents back into it.

So much for letting the chips fall where they may.

She locks the car door and heads in the direction Jack and Daniel had disappeared.

As she rounds the side of the house she takes another sip of her beer - nearly finished now - and shoves the car key into her pocket. There's a little porch facing onto the backyard, and Jack stands in front of a barbeque rescuing what indeed looks like steaks that were recently on fire. They are thoroughly blackened, and he deftly manoeuvres them from the grill to a plate held by a tall figure that is definitely not Daniel.

Teal'c turns his gaze on her, hardly moving a muscle in the process, and the fading light glints off of the strange golden emblem on his forehead.

It would be intimidating except that the plate looks so tiny in his large hands, and he holds it so very carefully.

"Doctor Carter," he says. "It is good to see you once again."

The timbre of his voice is soothing, and the rhythm so perfectly metered that she feels some of the tension ease from her shoulders.

"Hey, Teal'c," she replies with a lift of her chin and a small smile. She's actually relieved, because having Teal'c there changes things; she doesn't think she can take any more of Daniel's knowing looks and pointed exits.

 _This is better._

It feels less like they're being chaperoned, and more like a night out with her new team - and she can certainly see the value in that.

She just wishes Jack could've been a little clearer on the whole 'dinner' thing.

She looks at Jack then, and his eyes flick momentarily to hers. There's that indecipherable look again, and she wishes she knew what was going on in that head of his.

"I am assisting O'Neill with preparation of this evenings meal."

"Personally, I think 'assistance' is futile," Daniel says, pushing open the back door and stepping out onto the porch. He's carrying more plates and a basket of bread rolls.

"Very funny, Daniel," Jack says.

"Really, Jack? Star Trek but not Star Wars?" Daniel shoots back.

"Is that from Star Trek? I thought it was just... you know..." Jack gestures at Daniel with his barbeque tongs, narrowly missing Teal'c's arm, "... a cliché."

"It is," Daniel says.

Sam watches Jack's brow furrow at that. "From Star Trek, or a cliché?" he says.

"A popular cultural reference which originated in Star Trek and has now become a cliché," Daniel says. He grins, and Jack glowers at him, and Sam finds herself covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her chuckle.

Teal'c raises one impeccably shaped eyebrow and gives Daniel a sidelong look.

"Teal'c, I think you'll really love Star Wars," Daniel adds, turning towards the small table nestled into the corner just behind Jack.

"Jaffa are indeed warriors, Daniel Jackson, but it is duty and honour that compels us to fight. I would not refer to that compulsion as 'love'."

"Oh. No. It's a film. A trilogy, actually - " Daniel waves one hand in response. He's still carrying the bread rolls and one tumbles off of the side. Jack deftly snatches it from the air before it's even fallen a single foot. The catch is left-handed, too, and Sam is suitably impressed with his reflexes.

She's gotten the impression over the last few days that he likes to play down this side of himself.

Jack places the roll back on top of the pile.

" - it's not real," Daniel finishes, still staring at Jack.

"How can one love something that is not real, Daniel Jackson?"

"Us humans are pretty good at that, sometimes to our detriment," Jack says, tossing another steak onto the plate Teal'c holds. "You'll see."

There's an odd tone to his voice, and Sam wonders for a moment what he really means by that as she makes her way up the small steps and joins them all on the porch. She notices Daniel giving her an assessing once-over.

"You are not wearing your usual attire, Doctor Carter," Teal'c says, obviously having seen the direction of Daniel's gaze.

Sam feels heat prickle at her neck. She's suddenly very glad that most of her clothes are still back in D.C. - she only brought along a few casual items and what she's wearing represents the best of them.

She did put on lipstick, though.

And her top's a little lower cut than her usual.

 _Oh, god._

She wants nothing more than to bury her face in her hands - or to flee.

"Can I help with anything?" she says instead.

"There's some salad and cutlery on the table in there," Jack says, inclining his head towards the back door. "And you should get yourself another beer."

It's like he's reading her mind.

She swirls the dregs in the bottle she's still holding and heads for the door.

* * *

It turns out much better than she thought it would.

The meat, that is.

The evening, too, if she's being honest.

Daniel stops with his subtle insinuations about half an hour into dinner. She wonders if Jack pulled him aside when they both disappeared for a fresh beer, because Daniel seems like he's a lightweight, and when he comes back he definitely doesn't have a beer in his hand.

He and Teal'c are now well into an animated two hour conversation about Jaffa culture.

Sam is happy to sit back and listen to them, letting the conversation wash over her. It's fascinating, really, but she wants to hear a little more about their alien technology and a little less about Jaffa rites of passage. She's disappointed that the Jaffa seem to have no idea how Goa'uld tech works.

It makes sense that the Goa'uld wouldn't educate their slaves, though; knowledge is power, no matter what culture you come from.

She notices that the Colonel has also been pretty quiet. He sits across from her, and he's practically nothing but a silhouette against the porch-light above the back door.

She checks her watch, and can just about make out that it's approaching 2200. She's actually tired, and the temperature outside has dropped considerably - they don't even have the residual heat of the barbeque to warm them anymore.

She stands and starts gathering their plates. Daniel and Teal'c pause in their conversation, and Jack is on his feet immediately, snatching the plates from her hands.

"Guest in my home, Carter. Remember?"

She winces at his use of her surname, and she thinks he sees it because he adds more softly; "But you can bring in some of those empties if you want."

Teal'c begins to rise from his chair and Jack points at him. "And you two: stay."

Sam grabs a couple of bottles and makes her way around the table. Jack's waiting for her at the door, holding it open with one foot. She slips past him and through to the kitchen where she deposits the bottles by the sink.

When she turns around, he's right there. The unexpected proximity has her backing up, and she stops abruptly when her hips hit the counter behind her.

"Easy," he says, reaching past her to set the plates down next to the bottles.

She steels herself then, because despite how pleasant the evening has been it's still not what she had been expecting, and she's annoyed.

She's not quite sure if she's more annoyed with herself, or with him, but it's there, and she needs more information before she decides who to direct her ire at.

"So this is what you meant by dinner?"

It's his turn to wince, and he drops his gaze before bringing one hand up to rub through his hair.

"Not quite," he admits after a beat. He takes a small step back, lowering his arm again and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"So?"

His eyes find hers, and she feels him studying her as if he's trying to gauge how important this is to her. She wonders if the invitation meant more to her than it did him, and her heart sinks a little at the thought.

"So... I went to see Teal'c, and he looked so... bored."

"Teal'c did not look bored," she says, folding her arms across her chest.

"OK, he was stoic. He's always stoic. _I_ was bored _for_ him."

"And Daniel?"

"You saw Daniel this morning."

His voice is low, incredulous, and Sam feels a twinge of guilt at that. She knows it registers on her face because his eyebrows go up in response. It doesn't change the fact that he'd altered the plan and hadn't bothered to even give her a heads up.

"That's not the point," she says, shaking her head at him.

"What _is_ the point, Sam?" His tone is still hard, and she doesn't like the way her name sounds in it. The kitchen is so still she thinks she could hear a pin drop.

"This is... complicated," she says, her voice practically a whisper.

He barks a laugh then, throwing his head back a little. It's jarring in comparison to her quiet words, and she bristles.

"That is quite an understatement."

"You are _not_ my superior officer," she says, and she remembers her train of thought out in the car earlier. "But you could be. If you wanted that. It would certainly make things less complicated, wouldn't it?"

Her words are like ice gliding over her tongue. It's a cheap shot, and she knows it, but their conversation up until this point has given her basically zero information and she finds that she _wants_ to provoke him.

 _Just a little._

She's not really prepared for his reaction.

His face falls, and although he doesn't move an inch she _feels_ him retreat from her. Every line in his frame stiffens, but the worse thing is that that light in his eyes dims. She _sees_ it.

She panics.

And the only thing she can think to do to pull him back is to kiss him.

Her hands are clutching the collar of his jacket, and for a second he remains completely frozen, resisting the weight she puts into her death-grip. And then he's moving, fingers sliding up her jaw and across her cheek at the same time as one arm wraps around her waist.

She feels surrounded by him.

And she likes it.

He deepens the kiss for just a moment before breaking it. It hasn't lasted long at all, but she feels the loss of his warmth as he steps back from her.

She lets him go.

He clears his throat and straightens.

"We'll figure it out, Sam," he says. His voice is a little hoarse, and soft. But there's steel in it, too.

She nods in response, and smiles at him. Her pulse is pounding and she can still hear it in her ears.

She feels hopeful for the first time in days, but the best thing of all, she thinks?

His eyes are shining.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _ **Oh, man. I've been writing this all day. I am still in my pyjamas from this morning and it's now after midnight. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much all readers/reviewers/followers!**_**

 ** _ **By the way, 'outside the wire' is a military term for when you leave the safety of the base.**_**

 ** _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**_**


	3. Premise

****3.****

 **Premise**

" _Trust instinct to the end, even though you can give no reason." - Ralph Waldo Emerson_

He walks her out to her rental. They go out the front so they don't have to pass Daniel and Teal'c. It's a decision that they both seem to make without saying a single word to each other. It's this silent communication that they settle into so easily that really disturbs him - even more than the kiss did. If he's honest with himself, he knows that the kiss was inevitable. But it's also something tangible, quantifiable. This _thing_ that they are developing...

Not so much.

She smiles up at him before she pulls her door closed. There's something fragile about it, and he can't bring himself to smile back. He steps away as she begins reversing out the drive, and watches her go, hands deep in his pockets, standing in the driveway until the sound of the car's engine is nothing more than a low hum carrying across the cool night air. There's a distinct rhythm to the change in gears.

She drives stick, he thinks.

For some reason, this is what finally makes him smile.

He swivels around, and the gravel crunches unevenly under his boots as he heads across the drive and round back of the house.

The remaining members of his team are just where he left them. Daniel's got a look about him. It's the same one he wore that first night back from Abydos when he'd been asking about Sara.

 _And_ Sam, he remembers. He'd asked about Sam, too.

Jack hadn't told him anything then, but he doesn't think he needed to. Daniel might seem like the type who had his nose constantly stuck in a book, but he noticed things. He'd made a career paying attention to the details, after all. And it was lucky for Jack that he did; _none_ of them would have made it back from that first mission if it hadn't been for Daniel.

So Jack's prepared to give the man some slack for being a little less than subtle with Sam earlier.

"Sam head off?" Daniel asks, sitting forward. He's rolling a beer bottle between his hands that Jack _knows_ has been empty for a good thirty minutes. The movement casts long shadows across Teal'c, and Jack thinks he looks just like one of those statues in Ra's temple. He makes an imposing figure, even seated, and Jack is reminded that Teal'c is not human.

He shakes himself lightly and pulls a chair out, settling himself into it.

"Yup," he says, tipping the seat back a little. "Think she was beat."

Daniel hums in acknowledgement as he stares down at his bottle; Jack notices he's been picking at the corners of the labels.

"Does Doctor Carter reside at your base of operations?" Teal'c says.

Jack thinks about that for a moment and realises that he doesn't actually know. She'd been there at the base whenever he had checked up on her whereabouts, but she can't be _living_ there, surely? He glances over at Daniel, but the angle of the light makes it hard to catch his eye. He realises that she and Daniel are really in the same predicament - both their homes are a long way away from Colorado Springs. And then he remembers them sitting together in her lab that morning and how close they'd been. How comfortable they'd looked with each other.

Jack is appalled at the sudden twinge of jealousy he feels.

He also realises he still hasn't answered Teal'c's question.

"I think she's staying in a hotel at the moment," he says, letting his chair fall forward with a soft bump. "At least, that's where she was staying a few days ago."

"A hotel is a place of temporary accommodation we stay in when we're visiting places far away," Daniel says. The light glints off his glasses as he turns towards Teal'c.

"I see," Teal'c says. "On Chulak, it is customary to show hospitality to visitors by inviting them into our homes." Teal'c's gaze shifts from Daniel to Jack, and Jack watches as he inclines his head in a way that he is learning is a very particular mannerism for the Jaffa. "As you have done for me this evening, O'Neill."

Jack doesn't miss the point Teal'c is trying to make, but he's not about to explain why Sam isn't staying with him as well. Not to mention the fact she's already stayed over once before.

Slept in his bed.

 _Kissed_ him.

No, right now he's not touching this subject with a ten-foot pole.

He stands abruptly and claps his hands together.

"Speaking of hospitality. One of you gets the couch, and the other, the spare room," he says. "Up to you to decide because I'm turning in."

"I don't mind the couch." Daniel says, absently gesturing at Jack with his empty bottle. "I'm still not quite used to sleeping in a normal bed."

He finishes with an aborted chuckle, but the grief underlying the words is unmistakeable. Jack thinks about Sara and Charlie and _loss_ , and lets his hand fall on Daniel's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

He thinks maybe Daniel has also had a bit too much to drink.

"And I do not require a bed for Kelno'reem," Teal'c adds into the quiet that's fallen over the porch.

"Don't care. You decide."

Jack plucks the bottle from Daniel's grasp and heads for the door before turning back. "There are some pillows and blankets on the couch. Get some sleep, Daniel."

He puts a certain amount of authority into his voice. He's the leader of this team, and he needs to make sure they are ready and able for their mission in the morning. It's the reason, he tells himself, that he ended up inviting them all over this evening.

But as he heads up to his room, that thought settles uneasily with him, because he knows that it isn't quite true. He's always been good at convincing himself of his altruistic intentions. He thinks that it was something he learned to do a long time ago when he used to run covert ops. Something he'd _had_ to do to get the job done.

But then, he'd convinced himself it was okay to keep a gun in his family's home; that he was keeping them safe.

He'd also convinced himself that he had good reasons for detonating a nuclear weapon and killing himself; that it would be better for Sara that way.

Oh, yes. When he looked at it like that, he was pretty damn good at rationalising. He could sell himself his own good intentions by the bucket-load, it seemed.

The truth of it is, he's having a hard time separating _this_ Sam from young Lieutenant Carter. It was easy enough before he saw how she handled herself on Abydos - how she fell into place so seamlessly under his command out in the field. And as much as he thinks she believes she's distanced herself from it, her bearing is still military. He sees the way she fights it, sees how she's caught herself nearly saluting, or standing at attention, or how several times she's bitten back a 'sir' at the end of a sentence. It's...

 _Confusing_.

And suddenly dinner hadn't felt like such a good idea.

She'd used the word 'complicated' earlier. It is that, too, but he thinks that things are probably a little different from her perspective; she's a civilian ex-officer in a team operating under military command.

And he is that command.

She was right, of course, when she made that crack about re-enlisting - it would make things simpler. But if he'd learned anything from his reaction to her suggestion, it's that he _didn't_ want ' _simpler_ '.

If he could figure out what he _did_ want though, he'd be pretty happy with that.

He kills the lights, and his room descends into darkness as he sets his alarm and gets himself comfortable. The house is eerily quiet, and he wonders if Teal'c and Daniel are still out on the porch. He hopes that they actually will get some rest. He's not so sure about Daniel, but at least the man can't get his hands on 24-hour commissary coffee here.

Really, he's surprised that Daniel isn't more wary of Teal'c after what happened to Sha're, but he supposes that Daniel is perceptive enough to see that Teal'c has also lost just about everything he's ever had in a very short space of time.

There has been far too much loss all around, he thinks.

It's probably one of the reasons he's getting in his own way when it comes to Carter.

 _Probably_.

Or that may just be another one of his rationalisations.

He is at least sure of one thing, and that's that he owes her an apology.

He rolls over and stares at the curtains that, for a change, he hasn't forgotten to pull. It's typical that he now wishes he could see the night sky.

* * *

 _ **P3-575**_

There is white. And there is a pull, a flow - like a sense of movement. His foot lands heavily on solid rock when seconds before he'd been walking over the grating of the ramp leading up to the Stargate. He's not sure how he can feel or see anything when, logically, he knows that he's basically just molecules as soon as he steps into the event horizon, but it is what it is.

He thinks he should ask Carter about it.

And then he wonders what the trip feels like for her; whether she sees or feels anything, or whether each person's experience is different because it's all happening on a level that may be influenced by your own genetic makeup. He's not entirely sure how that all fits together, and between one thing and another, it's not something he's spent much time contemplating.

She must know a lot about it, though, because one tweak to the dialing programme, and suddenly he didn't feel like a human popsicle.

He looks down at himself then, at the lack of tiny ice crystals clinging to his fatigues, and it reminds him of where he is; what he is there for. The team went through the gate ahead of him, and he locates them all visually before scanning the horizon for potential threats.

It is quiet. And green. Not unlike Chulak, he thinks. There is a breeze, but it does nothing to lessen the humidity, though there is something cool and earthy about it - something familiar.

"Smells like rain," he says, even though he has no idea if the weather systems here are even remotely similar to those on Earth.

It wins him a smile from Sam, though, and he wishes he didn't find it so distracting.

He watches her head for the DHD before pushing the thought from his mind and making his way down the steps to stand beside Teal'c. The Jaffa looks relaxed enough, but Jack can see the way he grips his staff, holding it at the ready; his gaze is following Daniel who is picking his way across the open ground to what appears to be a rustic-looking bridge partly obscured by the shade of the trees at the edge of the clearing.

Not for the first time, Jack considers putting Daniel on a leash.

"Hey!"

Daniel's head comes up suddenly at Jack's call, and miraculously, the man stops. Jack strides out after him, Teal'c and Sam following closely at his heels.

"There's a bridge," Daniel says when they all finally catch up.

"I can see that," Jack says. "Just... stay close, OK?"

Daniel doesn't respond, but then Jack doesn't really expect him to.

"The construction is a little more modern than what we've seen so far," Sam says.

"Yes, exactly," Daniel adds, walking over to it.

The bridge is wooden, and looks like it's seen a fair battering from the elements, but Jack can see what Sam and Daniel are getting at. The wood looks like it's been cut cleanly, and smoothed like it's sanded. It also formed a nice little arch over the small stream running past them.

It makes Jack think of Vietnam.

"It almost looks oriental," Daniel continues, taking a step onto the first few planks. "Like a Taiko bridge."

"Yeah, well," Jack says, pulling himself from his thoughts, "better let me take point. Looks like we need to walk single file from here."

He points across the bridge towards the trail leading further into the trees, and wonders whether or not it would be better to actively stay off of it. It would be slower going, but he couldn't help thinking how being on a narrow trail in the middle of what looked like a small forest was a vulnerable position to be in.

And it was quiet.

Not even the call of a bird to break the silence.

He shakes off the feeling prickling at the back of his neck and starts off over the bridge and down the path.

* * *

They walk for well over an hour. The trail seems as though it is not well used, and is washed out in several places, making the terrain difficult to cross. It is the longest they've ever had to walk from the gate to find civilisation, or some kind of construction that is more noteworthy than a little picturesque bridge.

It both is, and isn't, encouraging.

He can't imagine any Goa'uld making this trek just to have their subjects kneel at their feet, so it means the people living here are either long forgotten, or there is something of great interest here.

It's possible the Goa'uld like to fly their big-ass ships down to this planet instead of using the Stargate.

Might be easier for transporting cargo, he thinks.

He's also painfully aware that their extraction point is getting further and further away, making a rapid retreat to the Stargate no longer an option for them should they meet with any hostility.

"This doesn't make sense," he hears Daniel say from somewhere behind him.

It's the first sound in about twenty minutes that hasn't been the snap of twigs or soft footfalls muffled by leaf litter, and it jars Jack from his thoughts and brings him to a halt. He turns; and his eyes immediately find Sam's. She's so close that he realises she must have nearly walked right into the back of him. She is slightly flushed from the heat and the exertion, but her lips are pursed together in a way that he thinks can only mean that something is troubling her. He is certain that he sees all his own thoughts of the past while reflected right back at him.

"He's right, Jack," she says after a beat.

"I also agree," Teal'c says.

Jack blows out a breath and steps past her, finding a sizeable moss-covered rock to plonk himself onto. They have been heading downhill for a while, and the landscape has changed a little where it looks like they are about to cross back over the stream from further up - if it is the same one, that is. He finds it strange that there is no bridge at this crossing, but maybe the stream got diverted at some point and the path was already long disused.

Or maybe he was just back to rationalising.

"Well, we're kinda at the point of no return here," he says, watching Sam and Daniel find their own spots to sit down. Teal'c remains standing, his watchful gaze still trained on their surroundings.

"It's obvious the Goa'uld don't use this path," Daniel says.

"And that's all we're here for?" Jack replies, raising an eyebrow at Daniel. He _knows_ that isn't true. But maybe he's also underestimating Daniel's desperation to find Sha're; Jack never thought he'd be the one preparing to press on with a mission that had no evident strategic value.

"We have a little over twenty-two hours before we need to check back in," Sam says.

Jack glances across at her, and although there is still a shadow of that earlier worry lingering in her expression, there is something determined about her now. Jack thinks it's that military training kicking in again.

He catches Daniel's eye and then tips his head towards Sam.

"Right," he says. "So don't you want to find out _why_ , Daniel?"

"Why the Goa'uld no longer come here?"

"And who built that bridge back there," Sam adds.

"There is something strange about this world," Teal'c says. He seems to aim this at no one in particular because his attention is still elsewhere.

Jack pushes to his feet and spends a moment readjusting the MP5 slung across his shoulder.

"I'm so glad we're all in agreement," he says, stepping back onto the trail, "because I'd hate to have to go ahead and pull rank."

He pauses for dramatic effect and looks back at the group falling in behind him.

"Oh, wait. No. I'm actually _just fine_ with pulling rank."

Daniel rolls his eyes. Sam narrows her's in a glare. Teal'c isn't even looking at him.

He thinks that pretty much sums up this little team.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _ **Sorry for the delay! I was away first. Sick second. But here it is, finally! I'm nervous about this one for some reason, so go easy on me.**_**

 ** _ **As always, thank you so much to all followers/favouriters/readers/reviewers! I don't think I would have had the guts to write this sequel if it wasn't for you.**_**

 ** _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**_**


	4. Smells like rain

****4.****

 **Smells like rain**

They all find their own way across the stream. Jack, with his long legs, makes an athletic leap, but she doesn't miss the low hiss that he makes on landing, which she suspects is the result of an old injury of some sort. He doesn't give anything away in his movements at least, but then, his back is to her and she can't see the expression he wears. She wants to ask him if he's okay, but thinks better of it; it's not something she'd do if she was out in the field with her commanding officer - and that's exactly what he is right now.

It's hard, though. Especially when walking along in silence for ages has given her nothing but time alone in her own head where her thoughts seem to swing between replaying the events of the previous evening, and contemplating their present situation.

All while she tries to stay alert, of course.

The result, she feels, is an amorphous lump clinging to the inside of her sternum like a weight; a general sense of foreboding that she's sure she shares with everyone around her.

She pushes the feeling further down for a moment while she picks her way over the stream using two of the sturdiest looking rocks. She can hear Daniel sliding down the bank just behind her, and Teal'c wastes no time in wading straight in. He marches across to join Jack on the opposite side like the force of the fast-running water is nothing at all.

She is reminded how thankful she is that the Jaffa decided to join them in their fight against the Goa'uld; she would hate to have this pillar of a man as an enemy.

Jack pauses long enough to make sure they're all safely across before continuing on down the trail; it's barely visible now as it curves between the trees, and she finds herself positioned right behind him again, consciously trying not to follow too closely. They haven't gone far at all when the sky decides to open up, and the sound of rain hitting the canopy of the forest is nearly deafening.

"Smells like rain, huh?" she yells at his back over the roar.

He turns, a small but steady stream of water dripping off the peak of his cap, and has the gall to grin at her. It's not an entirely happy expression, but there's something a little bit 'I told you so' about it.

He holds up his hands in a placating gesture. "Don't shoot the messenger, Carter."

She ignores the fact that he's called her 'Carter' - they're on a mission after all, and she can't really blame him for trying to create some professional distance. She's quite okay with letting him think she's not happy about it though, which she does by pointedly resting her hand on her own MP5 and arching an eyebrow at him.

"I'll try to remember that," she says, successfully suppressing a grin of her own as she watches his eyes flick down to her hand.

"If you don't, I will," says Daniel as he pushes past them. She almost misses his words, but when she realises what he's said, she can't help but smile.

She's still smiling as she turns back to face Jack. She can't read the look he's giving her now, and she has to blink rapidly to keep the rain out of her eyes as she looks up at him. He raises one arm, and she nearly takes a step back before she catches herself, but he simply grabs the peak of his cap and pulls it from his head. She finally realises what he's doing when the cap lands, askew, on her own head, but by then he's already got half his back to her.

She's not really sure what's just happened, but it feels, just a little bit, like an apology.

What exactly he's apologising for, she doesn't know. After all, she can't exactly hold him accountable for the rain - whether he predicted it or not.

She reaches up and grasps the cap, spending the next few moments readjusting the strap at the back of it and testing the fit. When she's got it just the way she wants it, she pushes her hair behind her ears and pulls the cap on, bringing the peak low over her eyes.

Yes, she thinks as she watches Jack get back out in front of Daniel, this is better.

* * *

It's slower going in the rain; the trail has become slippery as it channels small rivulets of water down what's left of the path. They are all soaked, but at least the rain is nearly as warm as the ambient temperature. It is not pleasant how the water sloshes around in her boots, though. It makes Sam think of trench foot, and that makes her wonder whether Jack ever fought in Vietnam.

She pauses, and watches him slither down a short incline a little way further down the trail.

There is so much that she doesn't know about him.

"So..."

She doesn't startle. She's getting used to this habit of Daniel's; the way he is just very suddenly _there_ sometimes. She thinks it's probably from years spent studying in libraries - all that quiet and stillness. Or maybe it's because he seems to prefer the company of things that are not living.

It's like he forgets that real people need a little warning.

" _Daniel_ ," she says. She says it just the way Jack does. She does it on purpose.

Daniel's response is to blink at her a few times while a slight crease forms between his brows, and then he clears his throat. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

She has a pretty good idea what he wants, but she asks anyway. "About?"

"I get the impression - "

"Not really a question," she interrupts, and smirks at him before she starts moving again. He moves with her.

"You're as bad as Jack," he says. She sees him shake his head out the corner of her eye, but there is humour in his tone that she hears even over the cacophony of sound that fills this alien forest in the grip of a storm.

She likes Daniel. Very much. So she's almost sorry for teasing him.

 _Almost_.

"You get the impression that I'm as a bad a Jack?" she replies. She does not look away from the path at her feet.

"Sam," he says, and she feels pressure on her arm where he's obviously reached for her. "How do you and Jack know each other?"

The concern in his voice stills her, and she knows that she's wrong: she has _no_ idea what he wants.

They are silent for a moment, and she finally allows herself to look him in the eye.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No." He lets his hand drop away and Sam wonders how close he and Jack actually are; how much Daniel knows about Charlie, about Sara, because he almost looks disappointed. Disappointed in Jack? In her? She isn't really sure.

She hopes he doesn't think she had anything to do with Sara leaving.

"He saved my life," she says, and that crease between his brows deepens.

"Recently." He says it like it's a statement but she knows that it's really a question.

"A long time ago."

She walks on before he can respond, and he follows closely. She's glad that he doesn't try to stop her again because, honestly, she feels much more comfortable simply concentrating on where her feet are going instead of watching his sharp blue eyes examine her like an artifact. He's reminded her that it's been only _days_ since Major Davis walked into her office in DC and turned her life upside down; she's not quite done processing everything yet.

"Look, Daniel," she says, polite but firm. "If you want to know about Jack's life, I think you should be asking him."

He doesn't reply immediately, and the sound of the rain is like white noise being pumped into a room, getting steadily louder the longer he remains quiet. Sam knows that isn't actually true - that it's all about perception.

It still feels a bit like a thunder clap when he eventually responds, though.

"I'm not asking about Jack."

She's the one who stops this time. She's dimly aware that Jack and Teal'c are getting further and further away from them. She should be concerned, but at the moment it's actually comforting; it makes her feel like she and Daniel are the only two people on the planet.

Her eyes find his, but Daniel continues before she can respond.

"Yesterday... what you said about Sha're..." he says, and pauses, his gaze distant for just an instant before focusing back on hers. "I thought I could return the favour."

She dips her head and looks away for a moment.

"You looked like you needed someone to talk to," she says quietly. She realises now what he's trying to say, but she can't even begin to compare his situation with hers; guilt tugs at her insides at the thought.

"Exactly," he says. There's a small smile pulling at his mouth, and it feels like a gift. Sam smiles back.

"So..." he adds, and this time she laughs.

"Some other time maybe," she says before setting off again.

"I always say that there's no time like the present," he counters, quickly following her. His words are light though, and she knows he's not trying to pressure her.

"Oh you do? Dr. Daniel Jackson? Archaeologist to the stars?" She throws the words back over her shoulder and is rewarded with a bark of laughter from him.

They continue on for a few minutes, a comfortable silence finally settling between them.

They don't get very far before she hears it.

It's hard to make out over the steady drone of the rain, but she's been listening to _that_ particular sound for nearly half an hour; she's gotten used to it's rhythm. What she hears doesn't fit.

She's pretty sure it's laughter; high and trill over the lower frequency of the rain. It's there and gone before she can get a sense of its direction, and she stops abruptly. Daniel puts a hand firmly on her shoulder to stop himself from walking into the back of her, and she leans back into the pressure to stop herself from pitching forward.

She glances back at him and then instinctively scans further down the trail in an effort to locate Jack; she can just about make out Teal'c's hulking form through the trees further ahead.

She can't see Jack.

 _She can't see him._

She feels her heart rate spike involuntarily.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asks, his words a breath across her ear.

"You didn't hear that?"

"Hear what?"

She pauses, straining to hear those notes that just didn't fit, but it's more of the same; water falling on the earth, the leaves, the branches - even the peak of the cap she wears.

 _Jack's cap_.

She doesn't realise she's been holding her breath until she releases it.

"Laughter," she says finally. "I think."

"Sam..."

"There's someone out there, Daniel." Her tone is almost harsh, but she _knows_ she heard something, and she wants Daniel to understand that. "Out in this forest - and off the path - in the middle of this storm."

She hears him draw in a breath before she carefully steps away from him. He is still nearly right behind her and although his proximity is reassuring, it's also limiting her mobility. Her hand falls to her weapon, and for the first time in a long, long time, she doesn't fight her military training.

With her other hand she slowly reaches for the PTT button to activate her radio. She's not sure if they're actually being watched, but she's not taking any chances.

"Colonel," she says as lowly as she dares. The radio crackles loudly and she flinches; she has been behind a desk for far too long, she thinks.

"Affirmative,"comes the response. She's stupidly relieved to hear his voice and she quickly pushes the feeling away.

"We may have a situation here," she says. Her hand slides back and down across her MP5 and finds the polymer grip.

"You heard it too?" The rain is creating some interference and his voice pops over the t's. She blinks, unsure of whether she's heard him correctly, but the sound of Daniel's radio crackling to life behind her makes her think that she has.

"I didn't hear anything, Jack," he says.

"Both Teal'c and I heard it," Jack says. "We're coming back up to you."

"Don't you think you're overreacting?"

"Stay put, Daniel."

Daniel huffs, but doesn't argue. It's clear from Jack's tone that it's an order, and it seems that even Daniel knows when not to push it.

Sam trains her eyes on the path and waits. Teal'c appears quickly, Jack close on his heels. The Jaffa arches an eyebrow at her as he comes to a stop by her side, but his gaze doesn't linger, instead turning outward into the forest. She momentarily wonders if he's seeing things that they can't, but quickly shakes the thought from her mind when she sees the grim set of Jack's mouth.

" _Jack_ ," says Daniel. He is still behind her and she steps to one side to make room for him; she gets the distinct impression that she doesn't really want to get between these two men when they disagree with each other.

" _Daniel_ ," Jack counters.

Daniel narrows his eyes, and she doesn't miss the glance he shoots her way. "Even if there _is_ someone here watching us, it doesn't make them hostile."

"No," Jack says, drawing out the vowel. "But given the current conditions you can be damn sure they weren't out for a nice stroll in the woods when they just happened to spot us."

"I believe someone has been observing us since we crossed over the bridge near the Stargate," Teal'c says, continuing his slow study of the trees around him.

"They could just be curious." Daniel gestures at their surroundings and finishes with a shrug before letting his arms drop back to his sides. "Or afraid."

"I don't like being watched," Jack says. His voice is like steel, and he exchanges a look with Teal'c before returning his attention to Daniel.

"Nor do I," Teal'c adds.

Daniel folds his arms across his chest and purses his lips. Sam knows that he's holding back. His hair is plastered to his forehead and he looks utterly miserable, but there is a glint in his eyes that she can see despite his rain streaked glasses; it nearly matches the one in Jack's.

Sam isn't quite sure where her thoughts fall on this. Her stomach turns uncomfortably at the idea of being watched, and she knows that Jack feels at a strategic disadvantage in this situation. It's obvious Daniel sees things differently.

But then, based on what she's read about the man, he always has.

"So what do you want to do?" Daniel says, cocking his head to one side.

She looks from one to the other only to meet with Jack's steady gaze. His eyes flick upwards for just a second, and she's sure it's the cap he's looking at. Maybe he wishes he hadn't given it to her - or maybe it's something else entirely. She thinks it must be the latter because the line of his mouth softens slightly.

"What do you think, Carter?" he says. There is just a hint of the same softness colouring his tone.

She swallows thickly. As a soldier, she thinks that arming themselves to the teeth and retracing their steps in search of some indication as to who - or what - may be following them, is the way to go. But she is _not_ a soldier, and she's beginning to realise that her tendency to act like one is part of his problem; why else would he ask her opinion on this?

Why else would he give her his cap?

She thinks about being a young, eager lieutenant, and suddenly she's back at Hurlburt Field by a dark hangar in the dead of night, with the same man in front of her offering a surprising choice.

"I think... we communicate."

His eyebrows climb towards his hairline at her response, but after a moment he gives a small nod, and Daniel visibly relaxes.

Teal'c remains silent where he stands just outside of the little triangle that she, Jack, and Daniel have formed.

"OK, you two," Jack says, and his eyes find and hold hers. "You're up".

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _ **Yikes. I can't believe how quickly this update got away from me. I am so sorry. Life gets in the way a lot these days. :-)**_**

 ** _ **As always, thank you so much all followers/favouriters/readers/reviewers! I don't think I would have had the guts to write this sequel if it wasn't for you.**_**

 ** _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**_**


	5. Appearances

****5.****

 **Appearances**

" _Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception." ― Niccolò Machiavelli_

Sam turns towards Daniel and he gives her a small smile. She is the astrophysicist and the ex-soldier - Daniel's the expert on cultures and languages. He must read the slightly pleading look on her face because he clears his throat, and faces out into the forest.

"Um, hello?" he calls out. The rain dampens the sound and his words fall flat. She sees him glance back at Jack who is giving him a withering look.

Sam resists the urge to tell Jack to cut it out.

Daniel narrows his eyes at him. "Shouldn't you be busy watching for movement?"

"We got it," Jack says, drawing Daniel's attention to the MP5 he holds. "We don't want to appear _aggressive_ , now do we?"

Daniel hums, a note of scepticism in it, before looking back out into the surrounding trees again. He takes a few steps out of their group, and Sam takes a step to follow him, but she feels Jack's fingers circle her upper arm, and she stills. They are warm, even through the fabric of her fatigues, but they loosen and slip away again quickly. She does not look back at him, even though she wants to.

"Hold on, Carter," Jack says, his voice so low she barely hears it.

In front of them, Daniel makes a slow circle. "We are explorers," he says. This time it's loud enough to project. "We came through the Chapaa'ai.

"Chapaa'ai," he repeats after a pause, making a big gesture with his arms that Sam thinks is meant to be a circle, but ends up looking more like a heart.

Sam can't stop herself from chuckling.

Laughter suddenly fills the forest. It peals off of the trees and merges with the sound of the rain in a brief but disturbing symphony before trailing off.

She feels Jack tense beside her, and Daniel takes a step back towards them. It is then that she notices it; she blinks, because for a moment it looks as though the bases of the trees are shifting and moving and that just _can't_ be right.

Daniel takes another, careful step backward.

Slowly, dark shapes separate from the trunks and she finally realises what she is seeing.

 _Children_. They are _children_.

Most wear hooded cloaks made out of something resembling oilskins, so close in colour to the rain-soaked bark of the trees that it is no wonder the children were nearly invisible.

They are all barefoot, and move silently across the ground towards Daniel.

There are six that she can see, and Sam is sure that there are more behind them, but Teal'c is silent, giving no indication one way or the other.

"Oh. Hello," Daniel says. He's raised his arms slightly, hands palm up.

Jack eases past her, and she follows.

"Chapaa'ai," the one closest to Daniel says, and draws a circle in the air with his index finger before moving to push his hood back from his face; at least, Sam _guesses_ that it's a boy, because they all seem young enough that it is hard to tell. The others follow his example and drop their hoods.

She stills when she gets a better look at them, because they've all got a marking tattooed on their foreheads. It's not like Teal'c's; it's a simple rounded rectangle which looks a bit like a totem standing upright on a short horizontal line which is most likely meant to represent a base. But it is only when the one that spoke tilts his head up to smile at Daniel that she sees that he also has a thick dark line running outwards from the inner corner of each eye and across the top of each cheek. The overall impression, Sam thinks, is like the black tear tracks on a cheetah.

"Chapaa'ai," Daniel repeats, and waves his hands in that same big arc he'd made previously.

His small audience giggle and smile, and she shares a brief glance with Jack. His expression is blank, but there is something in his eyes that makes her insides twist, and she has no doubt that he is thinking about Skaara.

Maybe even Charlie.

"Teal'c," Jack calls over his shoulder, and Sam follows his gaze. The Jaffa stands in exactly the same spot as before, the butt of his staff weapon now resting gingerly on the ground as he grips it in one hand. "Do you recognise their markings?"

"I do not," Teal'c says after a beat; he is watching the handful of children that are slowly making their way towards him; they look like cubs approaching a lion.

Sam's attention returns to Daniel. The one who she imagines is the appointed leader of the group is making circles around his eyes using his thumbs and forefingers. He is grinning manically, and she thinks that he must never have seen anything quite like Daniel's glasses before. Daniel laughs and flips his glasses up and down, demonstrating that they are not part of his face, and the boy reaches towards them with one hand. His slim fingers twitch, and she can see how he is itching to touch them, but Daniel simply smiles and straightens, bringing them out of reach without stepping away. She has no doubt that his glasses would disappear into the group and he'd never get them back.

The boy's disappointment is evident, and for a second his eyes harden, flinty and dark, before softening again into the petulant face of a child that's been denied a toy.

Daniel doesn't seem to notice.

"Daniel," he says, pointing at his own chest before turning and pointing at the Colonel. "Jack."

Jack raises an eyebrow at him, but offers an awkward wave at the children.

"Sam," Daniel says finally, gesturing in her direction. She smiles and nods her head.

Before he can introduce Teal'c, the boy points over to where Teal'c stands. "Teal'c," the boy says, and smiles broadly at Daniel as he bounces up on the balls of his feet.

Daniel gapes, and for a moment Sam feels just as confused as he looks. Her eyes find Jack's, but his expression is unchanged. She takes a breath, ready to draw Jack's attention to the fact that this boy somehow _knows_ Teal'c's name, when she remembers that Jack _called_ Teal'c's name just a few minutes ago.

The boy must have heard.

She releases the breath she's holding, and Jack looks at her questioningly, but she simply shakes her head at him.

"Um, guys," Daniel says, turning wide eyes on them.

"He heard Jack," she says, gesturing in the boy's direction with a lift of her chin.

"Boy's got good ears," Jack says, bringing one hand up and tapping a finger lightly against the side of his head. Daniel stares uncomprehendingly for a second, but Sam can see the moment he registers what they've said, and he visibly relaxes.

The boy turns his toothy grin on Jack, but Jack doesn't reciprocate. His expression softens though, almost against his will, she thinks. There is something guarded in his demeanour, but she can't tell if he is trying to stay detached, or if he is genuinely wary.

"Do they understand us?" Jack asks, finally breaking eye contact with the boy and raising his head to look at Daniel.

"It's hard to tell," Daniel replies. "They're not nearly as interested in communicating with us as we are with them."

Sam startles when she feels a small hand slide into hers where it hangs by her side. She looks down to see one of the smaller children standing so close that he or she is practically hugging her leg. The little one looks up at her, and for some reason she is sure this one is a girl. She has the symbol on her forehead, but is missing the thick black lines across her cheeks, and there is something anxious in her expression; she lacks the fearless curiosity of the other children. Sam feels tiny fingers tighten around her own, and the girl's mouth moves but her words are practically inaudible. Sam instinctively bends down to the child's level, straining to hear what she is saying as her little mouth works silently over the same word again and again.

"Ne-le, ne-le," she whispers in that way that only children do, loud but quiet all at once. "Ne-le."

Sam doesn't understand what the word means, but that ever present weight in her chest sinks a little lower. She knows that she must be looking down at the little girl helplessly because she sees the child's frustration in the crease between her brows and the puckering of her mouth.

"Ne-le," the girl mimes once more before glancing at the group leader who is still occupying Daniel. Her eyes flick once more to Sam's and then she abruptly pulls her fingers free from her grasp. She disappears quickly behind some of the other children gathering near Teal'c.

Sam straightens herself and looks back over at the boy; his gaze shifts, eyes flitting across hers and continuing past in the direction the little girl went. But then he blinks and his attention is focused intently back on Daniel. He reaches for the sleeve of Daniel's fatigues and tugs.

"Be-le," he says, taking a few steps away and making a gesture that could only mean he wanted Daniel to follow.

"I think he wants us to follow them," Daniel says, and Sam stifles a laugh at the look Jack gives him.

"Teal'c," Jack calls over his shoulder again. "We're moving on."

She hears the heavy tread of Teal'c's boots as he crosses over to them, and they all set off behind the boy on a line nearly perpendicular to the original trail.

"Be-le!" the boy says, and all the children scatter; some into the trees, and some dashing to the front of their little procession. Sam tries to spot the little girl, but can't; she wonders how they all manage to keep up.

Since they're no longer following the path, she finds herself falling into step beside Jack. Daniel is just ahead, the group leader now refusing to relinquish his arm as he leads them on through the trees. The rain has eased considerably into something closer to a fine mist, and she thinks the air should feel less heavy, but it doesn't. Instead, it feels like it's pressing in on them. She chances a glance at Jack, and in doing so ends up bumping her shoulder against his. His eyes meet hers and for a moment the solidity of him, the nearness, is comforting; the look on his face is not. She feels a chill run down her spine despite the slowly rising temperature.

"Jack - "

"I know," he says. He looks away, down at his feet and then across at Daniel. The silence stretches, and she would think that he was trying to create some distance except for the fact that his arm now brushes lightly against hers with each stride.

She reminds herself that he wears a mask. He has to. She hadn't noticed it on their missions to Abydos and Chulak - too distracted and overwhelmed with her first trips through the Stargate and walking on the surface of planets that were not her own.

And there had been Skaara.

She wonders if Jack blames himself, if he believes things could've turned out differently if he'd reacted less emotionally. She's replayed that mission several times through in her mind, analysing all the scenarios and always arriving at the same conclusions: there were simply too many unknowns for there to ever have been a right decision. It was a miracle that they'd even survived.

She thinks that behaving differently would have somehow made him less human.

His elbow knocks gently against her own, and she feels some of her tension ebb. She resists the urge to look at him, instead scanning over their group of tiny guides hoping to spot the little girl.

She doesn't see her.

"One of them was trying to communicate with me," she says quietly, returning her gaze to the ground at her feet.

"I saw that," Jack says.

Sam thinks about the girl's expression, her frustration at not being understood, and the speed at which she disappeared amongst the other children again. "She didn't seem especially happy," she says.

"I saw that, too."

She catches him looking at her out the corner of his eye. His expression has gone from hard to something closer to pensive, and he inclines his head in Daniel's direction, shifting his focus forward.

She knows even before she looks that it's the boy that he's indicating.

There is something _off_ about him, and Jack's clearly seen it too.

"She was afraid of him," Jack says softly.

Sam contemplates this, studying the back of the boy's head as she does so. Seconds pass, and then he turns slightly, just enough to give her and Jack a broad smile. It seems friendly and open, but there is something about it that makes her insides grow cold.

The smile doesn't reach his eyes.

Sam looks away. She looks at the ground, the trees, the branches spreading above their heads - anywhere but back at the boy. It's a strange feeling that grips her. It's not panic, but she can feel the adrenaline slowly starting to course through her, elevating her pulse.

A firm pressure against her arm jolts her from her present train of thought; Jack's elbow again, but this time a little harder. She glances at him but he's simply watching where he's putting his feet as they pick their way through the forest's undergrowth. It's as if their conversation had never happened. She finds her eyes drifting once more to the boy, but she doesn't let them linger on him this time.

For a while, there is only the sound of wet leaves rustling, soft and slick, as they move through the trees. Sam doesn't know why Jack is playing this game, allowing them to be lead by these strange children when he obviously has reservations, but she can't imagine using force against them either. She supposes that that is the whole point, and the implications of that thought are sinister. Then again, maybe the boy is simply a brat with authority; a cruel bully who isn't really liked by the rest of his group.

She has to admit that he is the greatest source of unease for her at this point in time.

There is one thing she _is_ sure of though, and that is that Jack isn't the only one wearing a mask.

* * *

When they finally walk out of the forest, the rain has stopped entirely. There is a cool wind blowing across the open grass, and Jack feels like he can breath again. He scans their surroundings but still can't see any form of civilisation. There is a ridge of grassy hills which the children head towards with purpose, and finally, he gets the faint smell of smoke being carried on the breeze. He searches the horizon for the source and notices a thin trail of it rising from beyond the hills; hard to make out against the low, grey sky that still looks heavy with rain.

He tamps down the small amount of relief that he feels in this moment - he doesn't want to get ahead of himself imagining a small camp of friendlies around a homely fire who greet them and offer weary travellers something warm and comforting - and not poisonous - to drink. For all he knows, they are being lead straight towards some Goa'uld temple.

"Yit!" the boy says, still dragging Daniel forward; Jack can't see his face but he's pretty sure that at this stage Daniel will have lost patience with being lead. A few of the children run ahead, and disappear over the rise of the nearest hill.

One of them is the little girl from earlier.

He knows when Sam has spotted her because her stride falters ever so slightly, and before he can stop himself, his hand is resting on the small of her back, guiding her forward. He feels her tense under the pads of his fingers, and she looks across at him, her eyes a little too wide.

 _Should've gone for the shoulder, Jack._

Even the elbow would've been good, he thinks.

He removes his hand swiftly, giving her what he hopes is a mollifying grin which he is sure ends up as more of a grimace, and not knowing what to do with said hand, raises it to rub awkwardly through his hair. She's watching him carefully, and he's surprised by the playful smirk that tugs at the corner of her mouth before she looks away and ducks her chin.

It's a gesture he's seen her make a couple of times now, and he smiles to himself as they cover the remaining ground to the rise of the hill.

He stills as soon as they hit the apex, Sam taking a few more steps before coming to a stop herself. A few seconds more and he feels Teal'c's bulky presence at his back, the butt of his staff weapon making a dull thud as he plants it heavily into the soft earth at their feet.

Jack draws in a deep breath and exhales it slowly as he surveys the scene below them.

"Well at least it's not a Goa'uld temple," he says, rocking back on his heels. Uncertainty floods him then. "Right, Teal'c?"

"I have not seen dwellings such as these before, O'Neill."

"That's... not really an answer," Jack says, scrutinising Teal'c over his shoulder; the Jaffa gives nothing away.

"They look vaguely Asian, Colonel," Sam says, and he almost flinches at her use of his rank, but her voice is soft, like she's far away. "Just like the bridge."

"Honestly, they make me think wigwam," he says flatly, drawing Sam's eyes back to his. "So let's try and avoid smoking the peace-pipe - even if Daniel _insists_ ," he adds.

On mentioning the other man, he notices that Daniel has already been hauled halfway down the slope. After a beat, he follows.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _ **I'm so embarrassed about how late this is. I have reasons, but it's not what you guys want to hear because it will just sound like excuses. I'm so sorry, and I hope you enjoy this.**_**

 ** _ **As always, thank you so much all followers/favouriters/readers/reviewers! I know this is a bit of a slow build, but Sam and Jack have a lot to figure out. They're also kinda busy at the moment, aren't they?**_**

 ** _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**_**


	6. Between wind and water

****6.****

 **Between wind and water**

Jack finds himself sitting cross-legged in front of a blazing fire. It's a little too warm, but it makes the room - if you could call it that - dry and he figures that's pretty much the whole point of it. That and tea, apparently. He accepts a small, smooth bowl of steaming liquid from one of the cheetah kids, as he has now labelled them, but raises it only far enough to give an experimental sniff. He glances at Daniel to his right, who seems more interested in the pottery than the tea itself, and tries to catch his eye.

When that doesn't work he clears his throat, and Daniel's gaze finally shifts to meet his.

"How rude would it be if we didn't drink the tea?" Jack says.

Daniel's eyebrows go up, but the faraway look in his eyes makes Jack suspect that the archaeologist has heard precisely nothing.

Time to go for the more direct approach, he thinks.

"Carter?" he calls, his focus still on Daniel.

"Jack?"

The insouciant tone in her voice makes it difficult for him to keep a straight face, but he continues to eyeball Daniel sternly. Sam get's it immediately though, and reaches across to rest a hand on Daniel's knee. Jack smirks as Daniel blinks and turns towards her, attention finally on something other than his own thoughts.

"Don't drink the tea," she says, tilting her head and raising one eyebrow. It's like she's addressing a child and Jack can't help but like the command in it. Even Teal'c looks over at her with a mixture of interest and amusement.

"I assure you that the tea is quite safe."

It's Jack's turn to be caught by surprise as he swivels in the direction of the voice, spilling some of the tea in the process. It scalds one hand and he winces, shaking the hot liquid off. He hears a few of the cheetah kids giggling; they sit just at the edge of where the walls would be if these strange huts _had_ walls, and he tries to ignore the fact that there is quite an audience gathering out there.

"I did not mean to startle you," the man says, and Jack watches him drop to his knees before the fire and take the pot from the woman who had been preparing the tea. "My apologies."

"You speak English," Jack says without thinking.

"I speak the language of the Gods," the man corrects. He is wiry, with a long, silvery beard, and wears a simple tunic with trousers that are tied just below the knee. Again, it reminds Jack of Vietnam, and for a moment it distracts him from what the man has actually said.

"The language of the Gods?" Daniel repeats.

 _Ah. That._

"Yes," the man says simply. The older boy - leader - of the cheetah kids appears at the man's side, bowing one knee and offering another small bowl on the palm of his hand while the older man seats himself across from Jack. "Thank you, Anoki. To-ba."

The boy smiles, and Jack thinks that it's just as unsettling as it was earlier - all teeth and cold eyes.

Charlie would never have smiled like that.

The memory of a partially toothless grin reflected in a rear-view mirror one wintry day many years ago is like a kick in the gut and he has to look away for a moment. When he looks back the boy is gone and the man is pouring himself some of the tea.

"Please," the man says, and takes a large, deliberate swallow.

Jack doesn't know whether the show is for them or for the people outside, but he supposes that it doesn't matter. He glances at the bowl in his hand, half full now since spilling some, and hesitates.

"Please," he says again.

Beside him, his team are quiet, the roar and crackle of the fire loud in the space; he can almost imagine the collective holding of breath around him.

He never thought that _tea_ could be so important.

Daniel coughs, and Jack throws him a glare before finally holding his bowl out to their host. The old man's mouth stretches into a broad grin as he refills it, his weathered skin crinkling around the eyes.

"I am Sani," he says, placing the pot back on the hot stones by the fire, smile still firmly in place.

Jack takes a sip of the tea - it's surprisingly sweet. "Jack," he says, "and this is Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c."

Sani nods at all three in turn.

"Why do you call it the language of the Gods, Sani?" Daniel asks, and Jack catches his eye.

"The language is sacred," Sani says. "Only priests speak it, but it is well recognised, and so Anoki came to fetch me immediately."

"Yeah, great kid," Jack says, and this time shares a glance with Sam.

"So only your spiritual leaders speak the language?" Daniel asks, taking a sip of his own tea.

"Yes," Sani replies, "although there are not many of us."

"Huh," Daniel says to no one in particular. "Like Ecclesiastical Latin."

Sani smiles again as if he understands Daniel's cultural musings, and Jack can't help but feel for the man.

"Anoki tells me that you came through the Great Ring."

"Chapaa'ai," Teal'c says.

"We call it a Stargate," Sam adds with a nod, and Sani inclines his head questioningly at her. There's something else in the look which Jack doesn't quite like, but it's gone before he can analyse it further.

"We have not had visitors through the Great Ring in quite some time," Sani says.

"It _is_ kind of a walk, isn't it?" Jack says.

Sani grunts in what can only be amusement. "We would travel much greater distances to answer the summons of our God."

Jack just manages to stop himself from openly cringing, forcing the aborted expression into something closer to interest. "So who is your god?" he says, trying hard not to stumble over the 'who' when he feels that the Goa'uld are closer to a 'what' - ascribing any kind of humanity to those parasites is damn near impossible for him.

A wistful look falls over Sani's features and Jack feels physically ill at the reverence in it.

"Did you not feel the very wind itself greet you? Did it not direct you here?" Sani says, and then more loudly, "Ru-ak merish!"

Jack knows that the latter must be for the benefit of the people, but Sani's expectant gaze rests heavily on him and he has _no idea_ how to respond.

"Umm..." he says helplessly, straightening a little and giving Daniel a hard look which he hopes conveys that their cultural expert should be stepping in round about now.

Daniel looks genuinely baffled, and blinks several times before clearing his throat. "You believe," he pauses, "your deity commands the wind?"

Sani looks pleased. "He is the God of the wind."

Daniel narrows his eyes at that, pursing his lips as though he is trying to recall something.

"Amun," he says finally. "Is your god, Amun?"

Jack hears a note of something in Daniel's voice that worries him, but also fills him with a strange sense of anticipation. He glances at Teal'c to see what the Jaffa makes of this and sees the man's stoicism drop, one eyebrow lifting in surprise.

"You see!" Sani says, raising his arms in an open gesture at the team, " _Amun_ is known to all!"

As if on cue a sibilant hum rises from the people gathered around them, and if possible they all seem to press in closer. Jack turns his attention on them and there is nothing but smiles and nods and wide eyes; the old man was certainly putting on a show.

Jack thinks about Kawalsky and what that _thing_ did to him, and suddenly feels so much... _rage_.

It claws its way up his throat like bile and he has to make himself swallow it, remind himself of why they're here. With some effort, he resists the urge to hurl the stupid tea bowl at something and places it on the ground in front of him, staring at it for just a moment.

When he looks back up it's Sam's eyes that he finds, and he can't help but feel like she sees right through him; she's seen him angry like this before, after all.

He should feel exposed, but instead, it's oddly comforting.

The murmuring starts to die down, but one of the cheetah kids - a very young one - tries to push through to the front of the group, is batted away by one of the older children, and promptly proceeds to cry.

Jack is grateful for the distraction, watching the kid be scooped up and quietly bundled off while his anger ebbed, morphing into something closer to pity.

"My apologies. It appears that our little ones have become quite overcome," Sani says. "Our God is great indeed."

"Sure," Jack says, biting back his initial reply - out the corner of his eye he notices Teal'c shift but the Jaffa remains quiet.

"Jack, in Egyptian theology Amun was the god of the wind," Daniel continues in that same tone as before, and Jack wonders what he's missing.

"I think that's been established," Jack says.

"His consort was Amaunet."

 _Ah_.

"Daniel," Sam says, blue eyes wide and focused intently on the archaeologist - Jack marvels at how she manages to convey so much in a single word.

"Um, Sani," Daniel says, seemingly ignoring her. "Do you have a temple?"

Sani is taking a sip of his tea and Daniel watches him closely, his own bowl long forgotten. Jack can see how badly Daniel wants this answer to be an affirmative; the other man is practically vibrating and Jack can't help, selfishly, but think of Skaara before swiftly pushing the thought away.

"We do," Sani says with a nod, and Jack can _feel_ his team straightening, the atmosphere shifting.

The look on Sani's face is disquieting, like he knows he has something they want, but of course, Jack thinks, he could just be projecting - the old man was a bit smug when it came to his so-called 'god' and maybe all he was seeing was simple _pride_.

"Is it close to the village?" Daniel asks.

" _Daniel_..." Jack starts to interject, but Sani cuts across him.

"I would not say that it is close. Half as long as the journey to the Great Ring, maybe. But to the west."

"Would it be possible for us to visit it?" Daniel says quickly, and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "For study?"

" _Thank you,_ Sani," Jack says before the priest can reply, and the look Daniel throws at him at his interruption can only be described as _wild_ , "but it sounds like your temple is far enough away that we may need to stay overnight. Perhaps even a day or two, for study, if that's alright with you?"

He looks at Daniel pointedly then, hoping that he will read between the lines and stop pushing; Jack knows he's understood when Daniel's posture sags a little, tension replaced with palpable eagerness.

"Of course," Sani says. "You are most welcome to stay. We can arrange somewhere for you to rest for the evening."

"Oh, no," Sam says then, reaching for her pack, "that won't be necessary. We have everything we need to set up camp."

Sani turns towards Sam and that strange expression from earlier ghosts across his face before dissolving into a warm smile. "Nonsense," he says. "Amun would be most displeased if we failed to offer hospitality."

Sam opens her mouth, Jack guesses to protest, but Sani raises his hand in a silencing gesture. "And even more displeased if it was not accepted."

The fire flickers as a gust of wind blows through the space, and Sam looks from Sani to him, uncertainty clear in her eyes.

 _Oh yeah_. He knows that feeling, alright.

"Then we humbly accept your offer," Teal'c says suddenly. The Jaffa dips his head slowly towards the old man and Sani turns to face him, pressing his palms together and bowing his head in response.

Jack blinks, a little caught off-guard. "Uh, yes," he adds. "Thank you for the hospitality."

"Excellent," Sani says, hands still pressed together, and Jack can't help but think 'Mr. Burns'. "Forgive me, I must leave you now to make arrangements.

"Please," he continues, and gestures at the fire. "Stay. Drink tea."

The old man then slaps his thighs with finality, apparently bringing their meeting to a close, before climbing to his feet and making his way out of the hut. The crowd parts for him easily, and Jack is relieved to see the people begin to dissipate quickly with their priest's departure.

For a while, there is just the sound of the fire and the shuffle of feet on soft earth.

"Well that was int- "

"If their temple is- "

"What was that about, T?" Jack asks, raising his voice over Sam and Daniel who subsequently both fall quiet; it was not like Teal'c to take control of a conversation like that, and Jack suspects that there is something he's missing.

"I feared hesitation on our part might appear suspicious," Teal'c says. Jack remembers what Teal'c said the night before about hospitality on Chulak and relaxes a little. "The priest also seemed uncomfortable when Doctor Carter addressed him."

 _Damn_. "You noticed that too, huh?" Jack says, grimacing and shifting his position so he could stretch out his legs. "Was hoping it was just my imagination."

"Is it usual for women to be subservient in Jaffa culture?" Daniel asks, obviously realising that his desire to talk about the temple was temporarily derailed.

"No," Teal'c says, turning to Daniel. "But it is not unheard of."

"But we're not sure that they _are_ Jaffa," Sam says.

Jack can't tell if it's a statement or a question, but her expression is thoughtful, and he thinks he can guess at at least _some_ of the lines that big brain of hers might be running along: Sani's reaction to her might explain the little girl's behaviour.

It's not exactly comforting, but it's something they can work around.

 _Hopefully._

"Jack," Daniel says, evidently unable to hold back any longer. "If their temple is like the cavern on Abydos and it's linked to Amun's territories..."

Daniel trails off suddenly, and frowns, his gaze turning distant. The firelight catches his glasses in such a way that, for only a second, it looks like his eyes are glowing.

Jack swallows thickly, shaking off the prickly sensation rising at the nape of his neck.

He waves a hand in Daniel's direction. "...then it might give us a lead on Sha're?"

"'Amaunet' is the feminine form of 'Amun'," Daniel continues, attention snapping back to Jack.

"Okayyyy..."

"It means 'the female hidden one'," he says, wagging his finger in a gesture Jack recognises; meaning Daniel had just realised something that Jack may, or - he wasn't afraid to admit - may not, want to hear about.

"And this seems to be, or has become, a patriarchal society," Sam says, grabbing Daniel's arm in apparent excitement.

Jack tries not to scowl at the two of them - it's like they're back in the cavern on Abydos reading each other's minds again.

"And?" he says.

"'Amun' might, in fact, be 'Amaunet'," Daniel says.

"You see, over time the feminine form may have been replaced-"

" _Carter_ ," Jack says, cutting her off. He resists the urge to wince at the glare she levels at him and continues more gently then, "I get it."

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c says. "Would that not mean that it has been many years since the Goa'uld visited this planet?"

"It seems likely," Daniel replies, his expression falling a little. "At least, that's what Sani implied."

"It's still a possible lead," Sam says, giving Daniel's arm a final squeeze before drawing her hand back into her lap.

They are all quiet for a minute, and he feels her eyes on him as he resolutely stares into the fire. He has no doubt that she wants to say something about Skaara, but he can't bring himself to think that far ahead.

Doesn't want to, really.

He thinks she understands that.

Another gust of wind, stronger this time, kicks up the coals. The fire hisses and pops as the kindling resettles, but despite the sudden flare of heat the breeze is cold against his still damp fatigues and it sends a chill all through him.

It's such a damn cliché.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _ **Please know that this story is not abandoned. Things have simply changed quite a lot for me this year, and I've had to reprioritise some stuff. I also cannot put any kind of timeline on updates, but I sincerely hope they will be more regular than yearly! Also, I am rusty - so have mercy.**_**

 ** _ **As always, thank you so much all followers/favouriters/readers/reviewers!**_**

 ** _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**_**


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